A new Dell (or open to suggestions)

[mrlang30]

Brian, what do you think of this desktop even though it only has 750 watts? Would we need to add the CPU liquid cooled too?

What customization options would you select? Do we need more GHz?

Difference between the 4070 & 4070 Ti option (are they both Studio Drivers?)?  Is the Studio Drivers you keep linking something I will need to install once I get the desktop?

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/desktop-computers/xps-desktop/spd/xps-8960-desktop/usexpstpcto8960rpl12?configurationid=4848a255-5680-4729-a0b0-29b47aa4918b

[Brian]

The "Studio Drivers" are really meant for the NVIDIA RTX 3000 Series, (i.e. NVIDIA RTX 3070,) and not the "4000 Series." Here is a snapshot of what cards are supported by the Studio Driver: 

Notice how the 4000 series is absent?  

Don't worry about it.

For Photoshop work, there isn't THAT much difference between a 4070 & 4070 Ti, that's for a Gaming system and for people who need the extra 3 fps while playing a First Person Shooter.

As for that Dell, don't worry about a 750 Watt Power Supply, it's fine. In addition, this is a Dell System, so they have things already mapped out. The reason that I recommend a 850 Watt Power Supply, is for the folks that have a Generic System which can have all sorts of Motherboards and different configurations. 850 Watts is overkill for a Dell System, who already has the power requirements already figured out. Remember, Ask Damien is a World-Wide International Group, and sometimes I have to "paint with a broad-brush."

Now here is the thing you are most wondering about...

BUY IT!

Enjoy your purchase!

 

Edit:  You could save yourself the $150 and just go with the NVIDIA 4070, or just buy the Ti version now and be done with it. Liquid Cooling is also an upgrade, but if this is just a computer for Photoshop, where you really aren't pushing it, standard Air Cooling is fine. That said, if you live in a Dusty Environment, you may want to consider Liquid Cooling. At this price-point, if it were me...just spend the extra $200 and be done with it. You want this computer to last for at least 7 years or so. Anything you cheap out on now, you will just be upgrading at some point in the future, and who knows what cost it will be?

[mrlang30]

Hey Brian, my new PC arrived. After set up I noticed my C: drive says 848 GB free of 929 GB. I purchased the 1 TB storage option.  Is that information right? 

[Brian]

YUP!!

Microsoft says 1024 is 1MB, 1GB, 1TB of something. So 1024K is 1MB, 1024MB is 1GB, 1024GB is 1TB, etc. etc.

The Hard Drive Manufacturers say that "1000" is 1TB (or whatever) is 1MB, GB or TB, so there is this discrepancy. Plus, when you partition and format the drive, you lose a little of that "1000" and are left with 929GB. On a 2TB Drive, your number is closer to 1.8TB to work with, conversationally speaking. A 4TB drive, you are left with about 3.6TB after formatting.

BUT!!

That is before you install Windows, Drivers and the other Bloatware and Programs that Dell adds.

So in the end, you are left with 848GB before you add Photoshop and such. Now you know why I jump up and down about getting at least a 1TB HD!! Imagine if you got a computer that only had a 256GB HD! You'd have even less space available for Photoshop and the Scratch Disk, never-mind your images.

[Brian]

Quote

"But! But!! That's false advertising!!"

It is...from a certain point of view...

This whole 1024 / 1000 thing has been going on since forever. At least as far back as I can remember, and I started fiddling around computers way back in 1981. When HDs became really popular, larger AND more affordable in the 1990's, back when we had 425MB HDs, people asked the same question then. So here we are 30-some years later and we still have this 1024 / 1000 thing. Think of it like the Metric System vs. Imperial. Miles vs. Kilometers, etc. 
 

[Brian]

Remember, you could always add a 2nd HD, like this 2TB Samsung SSD. All you'd need is a SATA Data Cable, and that's a few bucks. This way you'd have a C Drive and a D Drive.

[mrlang30]

Now that I look my old laptop must've been a 1TB as well, that kind of makes me wish I would've looked into it further and went with the 2TB right off the bat. I do have a SanDisk G-Drive (must be 4TB, 3.63 free) for backup.  But I'm still confused as to what I should only save on the PC storage as to not use up all the space on unnecessary files. I didn't bring everything over from my laptop because I wanted to dedicate the new one for only editing.  

[Brian]

The basic rule-of-thumb, is you store the current job(s) that you are editing on the main HD, deliver the images to the client, then move those files (.psd files and all) to the external / secondary HD for long term archiving. 1TB is "fine" for operational every-day use as long as you do not treat it like a "Dumping Ground." That's where you run into problems; when you go clickclickclick-ok-ok-click-click-click, or "copy everything to the C Drive" without thinking once about storage. If you use the main HD for Programs and your current editing projects, 1TB is fine. Because in reality, you are only using a 100GB or so between PS Swap Files, Programs, Images and the like. You should have 500GB-600GB free at nearly all times to play with. Now, if you had say, a 250GB HD, with only 80GB to play with, that's a different story. 

One more thing, like I mentioned above, you can add a 2nd internal SSD HD, either a 2TB or 4TB, and I can help you install it. Believe it or not, it's not THAT hard to do. Hardest part is getting the case open and the Drive mounted, then about 5 minutes fiddling in Windows to get it partitioned and formatted.